Shadows
by CrystalArcher
Summary: The dark never bothered her, in fact the highlight of her day was walking home from work at night...that is until the shadows began to follow her… JxS My first story! Going for fear factor here, tell me how I do...PS sorry for the too long wait.
1. Prologue

Author's Note: My first ever true attempt at horror, I got this idea after becoming addicted to the books by Dean Koontz, this is sort of but not really based on his book Midnight, although I only read the first few pages so far, that's why it's not really based on it. (He has a really fast hook so you should give some of his work a try it's awesome)

Summery in full: The dark never bothered her, in fact the highlight of her day was walking home from work at night. Ever since her trek through the Labyrinth, her thirteen hour terror fest, five years ago, nothing much scared Sarah Williams, least of all the dark…that is until people started disappearing and rumors began to spread about a killer who preyed on those foolish enough to venture out during the night. Still she wasn't truly _scared_ of the dark, just more cautious than she had been. Then the shadows began to follow _her_…

Disclaimer: I don't own Jim Henson's Labyrinth or Midnight by Dean Koontz and I'm making no profit from this so don't try to sue me…besides my mom has worked for like three different lawyers and they all like me so you wouldn't win anyway…neah Oh and if you feel the need to send me flames then know that they will be used to heat my house because I hate the cold and snow which there is usually and abundance of where I live. As a final note I'm sorry for any mistakes that I have missed I have no beta as of now and I usually do my writing late at night so sorry…

Prologue

Turning off her computer, pushing away from her desk, grabbing her coat as she left the office, Sarah Williams left work and headed for home. She had finally secured a job as a secretary for the owner of a small bookstore on the outskirts of town and this had been her first official day of real work. The bookstore, aptly named 'Fantasy Fables and More,' lie just past a small forest and about three miles from her home. She lived in a cozy little apartment, skirting a large park that the town proudly boasted. Sarah took a deep breath of the night air, there was a cool but not cold breeze blowing and the sliver of a moon to light her way; she loved walking at night, it was just so peaceful. The quiet atmosphere, the occasional chirp of a cricket or squeak of a bat, she loved it all. There were two miles of forest then a mile of Tower Street, the main avenue of the town, between her and her apartment, she hoped the walk would be longer than it seemed.

The nineteen-year-old girl had been living on her own for a year now, once she had reached eighteen, she had moved out and away from her father and stepmother, as much to get away from them as for various…other reasons. Although her escapade in the Labyrinth had taught her many lessons and helped her grow close to Toby, there was one thing that could never be mended, her relationship with her parents.

She had tried to get along with them but all her attempts had failed miserably, she just had nothing in common with ether of them, her father was a workaholic who was barely ever at home and her stepmother was an opinionated tyrant without even a thread of imagination. Try as she might, she would never have a strong bond with them. With a feeling a bit like sadness or regret, she had accepted it.

Sarah walked at a leisurely pace through the abandon lot by the store; this was going to be her first time walking home from work, her boss, Jeff Weatherbee, had driven her there and home for a week of 'on the job training' preparing her for what job she would be expected to do, while also helping her get used to the various routs to and from the store. He had offered to make the carpooling a permanent arrangement, seeing as he lived only a block away from her residence, but Sarah had insisted that, going home at least, she would much rather walk; as for going _to_ work, his offer meant that she could save a ton on gas.

The forest was considerably darker and somewhat cooler than the lot had been, protected from the sun and hidden from the moon; it was almost cave like. Leaves rustled, twigs cracked, and the wood of the old trees creaked and moaned under the pressure of the wind; any one of those variables in action was sure to set someone on edge, and yet Sarah was not bothered by the three together. After her adventure through the dankness and darkness of the Labyrinth nothing much really scared her anymore, she felt as if she were constantly being watched over by something with only her best interests in mind, although she doubted it to be true, stranger things had happened. She pressed on, soothed by the sounds of the night and the cool breeze playing with her hair.

She had not gone more than fifty yards into the forest when a sound made her jump, like aforementioned, nothing _much_ frightened the girl but this sound did and it proved her suspicions about feeling watched when she had moved to her new home on the California Coast. She scanned the trees and surrounding bushes franticly, hoping beyond hope that she had imagined it or that it wasn't what she had thought it was. The ghostlike wail sounded again…closer this time. There. Sarah spotted a flash of white in the tree just above her and her eyes came to rest on the creature that had been stalking her for years, the creature she had been trying to escape with her move across the country, the creature that had haunted her nightmares and been born of her dreams.

She stared, transfixed by the sight of something so beautiful and yet so deadly. Razor sharp claws held the branch in a death grip and she was certain that they would much prefer to be digging into her flesh and ripping it out in chunks. Strange, anger filled, eyes stared back at her mockingly, almost seeming to scold her for being out so late and so utterly alone. It screeched again, this time in evident annoyance and she was sure that he was angry with her for something. _"Probably worried about me walking home in the dark."_ She thought sarcastically, knowing it wasn't so. Figuring he had never directly tried to take her life and doubting that he would actually do so, no matter how much he wanted, she turned her curious and frightened gaze into a cold scowl. Turning abruptly, defiantly, she ignored a final angered fueled cry and walked on. Glaring, the owl flew away.


	2. Chapter1 A Warning

A/U: Hay here's chapter 1 or 2 whatever you consider the following of a prologue to be; hope you all like it! Please r&r

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING…. (Echoes many times) see nothing

Throughout her trek through the forest, Sarah felt as if she were being watched and followed; she could imagine _him _stalking her on silent wings, just waiting for the chance to rake razor sharp talons down her back and across her throat. Despite her earlier ideas that he would never really try to hurt her, she was beginning to have her doubts. _"He had a hundred different chances during my Labyrinth challenge…if he wanted me gone he would have done it then…of coerce __**then **__he was trying to seduce me into staying…now he has not only means but __**motive**__ as well…" _Her thoughts swam much like ripples in a lake, finding one answer then bouncing off that and going to an alternative, complete with scenario. It lasted for the remainder of her journey.

Sarah reached her apartment and sighed with relief, she may love walking in the dark but seeing him, after being so sure she was finally rid of him, was just too much…she wanted to be safe at home. Several weeks after her Labyrinth challenge, Sarah had started to see owls on a regular basis and as the sightings grew more frequent she noticed that the owl was always in the same places and always had the same markings. She had tried to convince herself that the bird had just nested somewhere in the area but after several months of constant observation, on both parts, and mid day sightings of a snowy white barn owl, Sarah had pieced together the events and figured out her old nemesis was anything but out of her life, she stopped trying to pass it off as coincidence. She smiled. The look he had given her, even in his less than expressive owl eyes, when she had confronted him using his name, had been priceless. A combination of shock, anger, there was a little bit of…what was that? Pride? And many other emotions she could not decipher. After the next occurrence though she had wished she had just ignored him. He had turned back into the, surprisingly hansom, Goblin King and had attacked her full force, but not in the way she had imagined he would. He had bantered with her supposed feelings for him and somewhat reveled his wishes for her to have remained with him in the Labyrinth. (It was the first and last time she had seen him in his Fae form thus far) and after exchanging cruel banter back and forth for some fifteen minutes, he had given her a brutal back hand that had left half her face bruised and a tooth chipped. She had always thought he was just a bunch of talk and hot air…she had never thought him capable of doing her harm until that point, two years ago.

She shuddered at the memory and the unearthly look he had given her after his violent action, it was hard and cold, completely deprived of any remorse whatsoever, completely deprived of any _emotion _what so ever. Just cold and calculating. He had stared down at her for what seemed like an eternity all the while she feared that he would ether take her back to the Labyrinth by force or just kill her. Quite suddenly the look in his eyes had changed to one of a softer and gentler nature, visibly forcing another glair, he had turned and strode off into the surrounding trees, and moments later she saw an owl flying into the sunset, back to its dark and twisted home. She never had figured out what had caused his sudden change in demeanor and his equally sudden retreat.

Now bearing the strain of old and confusing memories and the occurrences of the night, Sarah was anything but relaxed. Deciding that a cup of tea would help to calm her nerves, she headed for the kitchen, all the while thinking of what she could do, given her new obstacle. She would still walk home at night, it was the only time she felt free and calm, she would never let him take that away, still she could never truly be _calm_ if she knew he was there, watching and waiting for her. Him showing up was like another challenge and she refused absolutely refused to let him have the satisfaction of knowing he had scared her…she would walk home alright if for nothing more than just to spite him and make him seem the fool. And yet…her need to provoke and anger him made _her_ seem like the fool when she stopped to think about it…just what would he do should she drive him over the edge?

Eleven chimes of her grandfather clock brought her back from some disturbing thoughts of what might befall her should he catch her again. In that time she had downed several glasses of hot tea and was more than ready to go to bed, to escape into the world of unknowing and relaxation. Leaving the glass and tea pot for the next day, yawning, she headed for her room and overstuffed bed, oblivious to the fact that she was being watched. She entered her room and undressed, pulling on some pajama pants and an oversized T-shirt. She clicked off her bedside light and flopped into the soft folds of her comforter. She was just cuddling under the covers when a cold velvety voice penetrated from the shadows of her, next to empty, closet.

"My, my Sarah you have grown up…walking home by yourself at night…very brave or shall I say stupid?" the final word was sharp and held distain, surprisingly, as she shot up on her knees and turned on the light, she felt more hurt than scared. In the blink of an eye the room was illuminated, except for the shadows within her deep walk in closest, still she could make out the ghostly pail figure leaning nonchalantly against the inner door frame. She was reminded of their last encounter in the Labyrinth, when he had emerged from the shadows for their final confrontation…or at least she thought it was going to be.

As he stepped into the light she saw that he had not changed in the least. Where she had grown into her body over the two years it had been since she had last seen his Fae form, he remained entirely untouched by time. Same angular face, mess of platinum hair, dark, tight fitting clothes, the same infinitely deep eyes…wait, they weren't the same, they _were_ older and, as she could see and would later learn, where there had once been arrogance, cruelty, anger, passion…there was now only sorrow. He smirked at her as she stared at him, wobbling on her knees in the middle of her bed. At her silence he began talking again.

"Well Sarah, time seems to have treated you fairly." He commented; eyeing her hungrily and letting his gaze linger on her face and chest. Still no response. He gave an over dramatic gasp. "What? Are you at a loss dear Sarah?" he asked with mock surprise, putting his hands on either side of his face in yet another show of unneeded and overacted dramatics.

"What are you doing here Jareth?" she said coolly so quietly he had to strain to hear. She completely disregarded the incident that happened the last time she had ignored his ranking title and simply addressed him by his name. He scowled at her and flexed his fingers, temper rising, he was in no mood to be disrespected.

"Why were you out so late?" he demanded.

"None of your business." She replied airily, defiantly, eyes flashing. She couldn't believe that after all this time of uncaring, after everything he had done to her, that he would act as a parent and scold her for something so trivial as walking home.

"Tell me." He said dangerously, advancing several steps. Sarah fell back to sit on her heels, wishing she had some means of protection.

"I was walking home." She said simply

"So late at night…did you miss a ride?" Jareth asked with legitimate curiosity.

"No I like walking in the dark and it was only eight." Sarah was beginning to sound like a child.

"It's dangerous to be out so late, when it's so dark... and so far from home? Few people would hear you screaming in time to help you...that is if you even had time to scream." He smiled cruelly at her, his voice was mocking and, in Sarah's opinion, threatening. She refused to let on that he was really beginning to scare her.

"Why do you even care?" she said, glaring.

"Who says I do, I'm just informing you that it's against your better judgment to be out so late." He said simply, sounding board and examining his gloved hand as if it were a hundred times more interesting than the conversation.

"Why thank you Karen." Her voice was overly sweet and no sooner had the words left her mouth did she wish she had just kept quiet. Jareth looked up at her, at first glance merely looking curious, the only sign of his mood being that his eyes had gone nearly black from anger, the rest of his demeanor said he was calm cool and collected as ever. Still staring at her, his face looking very regal, he waved his hand and soon she was standing in front of him, her body moving of its own accord. His eyes were fixed to hers and she saw the absence of emotion that she had seen on their last encounter. She gave him a cool glair and cocked her head as if to say 'I dare you', she was rewarded with a violent and unexpected backhand, she fell to the floor, too taken aback to even let out a cry. No sooner did she hit the floor, Jareth, grabbing her by her shoulders, gracefully hauled her up and slammed her into the wall, leather clad fingers digging into the flesh of her shoulders. She tried desperately not to cry out in pain but she could not conceal the fear in her eyes as she stared at him, expecting something fare worse to come. He sighed with a combination of anger and fatigue, averting his eyes from her.

"Sarah, listen to me." He said, almost sounding…desperate? She didn't have time to figure it out, he continued."There are things that inhabit and travel between our worlds you could never even begin to imagine. If you are frightened by me, if you are hurt by my actions, then pray you never see the creatures I'm speaking of." With that he disappeared in a cloud of burning sparking magic, leaving a very frightened, very sore Sarah in his wake.


	3. Chapter2 Disappearances

A/U: wow this is sorta a long one…anyway I hope you all like it and thank you all for the kind reviews so far they mean a lot Well this is the last chapter that I have finished so the rest is not going to come quite so fast but I will try to make at least one update a week depending how busy school gets. Anyway on with the chapter!

Disclaimer: I aint Jim so I don't own it….sigh that really sucks…--

The next day Sarah slept in and for good reason. After her 'visitor' had left she had been too scared and angry to even consider sleep. Several minutes after his departure she had gained back the mobility he had taken control of and had gone to her vanity to inspect the damage he had done. The left side of her face was red and swollen, by morning she would have a black eye for sure and yet….it had seemed that he had aimed in such a way as to avoid hitting her eye or her nose directly, just right in the center of her cheek, where the least amount of damage could be done. _"No…He'd never do that…the __bastard just__ has bad aim that's all…" _she took an aspirin and then spent a good hour rummaging around in her storage shed, one of which every apartment had, for her old baseball bat. For once she was glad that Toby hadn't gone into the little league. Finally after nearly getting herself killed in several junk avalanches, she found the memento of her days on an all girls softball team.

"Ha! Just try and sneak into my house again Jareth and we'll see what happens," she said to herself, tapping the bat in her left hand and swinging it once for good measure. Only after she had found the bat, placed it under her pillow and crawled back into bed, did she begin to digest his final words.

_"There are things that inhabit and travel between our worlds you could never even begin to imagine. If you are frightened by me, if you are hurt by my actions, then pray you never see the creatures I'm speaking of."_

When he had said that he had almost seemed desperate as if he were afraid she would not believe him. She sighed. "What did he mean by that?" she whispered to herself, only silence was willing to answer. Sarah lay awake for several hours contemplating what he could have meant by that, if he was telling the truth or if he had just wanted to scare her…and why he had given her the warning in the first place. Why should he show up _now _of all times? Two years after they had last spoken to one and other and nearly four years after her Labyrinth challenge…it just didn't make any seince. Slowly darkness began to take her sight and sleep her mind, within five minutes she had escaped the turmoil of her mind and fled to the welcoming arms of slumber.

The next morning was a nightmare, she awoke to find that she had slept through her alarm and was late for work.

"Gah! Figures the only day he told me to get to work on my own and I sleep in." She grumbled as she hurriedly got out of bed and dressed. "Oh this just isn't fare!" she yelled to herself. Just as she was about to sprint out the door the phone rang, cursing, she stepped back into the apartment and answered it.

"Hello?" she said a combination of desperation and exasperation in her voice.

"Sarah where are you? You're an hour late!" the voice was understanding but at the same time annoyed.

"Sorry Mr. Weatherbee I didn't hear my alarm…last night was…um…strange and I couldn't sleep…I slept in this morning but I'll be there in a few minutes I promise." She sounded desperate. There was a deep, partly understanding sigh.

"…Fine but from now on please save your 'strange nights' for the weekend – 'click'"

"Mr. Weatherbee!" Sarah was speaking to a dead line; he had hung up. Sarah blushed bright red at the implication his words had held; she was going have to try and find a suitable explanation that allowed for at least some of her pride to remain intact. Just as she was leaving she swore she heard velvet laughter following her out the door. _"Great it just figures __**he **__had to hear that… bastard" _

Sarah arrived at work several moments later, thanks to her old Subaru outback and her way of 'forgetting' the speed limit. No sooner had she stepped through the door her boss was right in her face.

"Sarah I– Oh God what happened to you?!" He said, seeing her bruised and swollen face.

"Oh this…" She trailed off not knowing how to explain it _"Crap son of a – I forgot to cover it!"_ her plan had been to cover it with makeup and avoid letting anyone get a good look at her, apparently that wasn't going to happen now.

"Sarah, sweetheart, who did this to you?" Mr. Weatherbee asked gently, escorting her to a chair and sitting her down. Ever since she had gotten the job he had begun treating her like his own daughter, seeing as he had never had children and she was still so young, as time passed Sarah had found herself treating him more and more like a father in return.

"…Well…no it's nothing" she turned away, thinking desperately for an excuse. Refusing to look him in the eye, she instead looked out the window and wished she hadn't. There, perched in the tree by the store, sat an owl and that's all he did, just sit there and stare at her with bright yellow/green eyes, that's how she knew for sure it was Jareth. Sarah shot up and backed away from the window, her face blanched.

"Sarah? Sarah what's wrong with you?" Jeff Weatherbee asked with mounting concern for the young woman, he went to her side and held her still, careful not to touch her face. Sarah remained transfixed by the owl in the tree, did he just glair at the man now holding her as a father would hold a frightened child? Did he just ruffle his feathers in annoyance? Jealously?

"Hmmmm? Oh! Oh yes I'm fine just…I just hadn't expected to see an owl that's all… I didn't know they lived out here." She laughed lightly.

"Sarah you're changing the subject! Something's going on and I want to know what it is right now." He gave her a look that said she had better not argue. Sarah thought fast. Sighing dramatically and calling up all her acting skills she began to weave a tail that would satisfy his need to know if she were all right, she felt horrible for lying to him but it had to be done.

"Ok well…last night an old friend showed up…Oh this is so embarrassing I can't believe I'm saying this…" she faked an embarrassed laugh " Well my friend…" she thought for a moment passing it off as a hesitant pause, " Janna and I were just messing around and we started fighting over a soda, and she backhanded me you know just for fun…but she hit me harder than she meant to…please don't be mad at her or anything…she didn't mean to." She looked at him imploringly and mentally sighed as his eyes softened and he nodded understandingly.

"Fine but only if you promise me that your Ok….I mean really Ok?" he looked pointedly into her eyes, she nodded earnestly and he seemed to accept her explanation and reassuring.

The day just wouldn't end soon enough for Sarah but when it did she was out the door in a flash and headed home. Although Mr. Weatherbee had insisted she take a ride form him to get home she refused…what Jareth had said was still bothering her and until she could figure it out it would keep doing so. She figured the fastest way to find the answers she sought was to find and ask Jareth directly, the only way to do that was to provoke him into showing up. She walked tall and proud through the forest, humming an old and hunting tune that had refused to leave her memory, she decided to finally put it to use.

She went on like that for the whole of her walk home and not once did she spot Jareth, she never even heard the agitated cry of an owl. Sighing and shrugging she decided that he knew she wanted him to show up and purposely denied her even a sighting just to spite her. _"Bastard!"_

As Sarah was walking past the rows of apartments before hers she noticed a man posting signs up on all the supporting beams making up the roof of the parking area. Curious she decided to investigate.

"Hay excuse me sir, what are those?" she said, jogging up to him. He smiled kindly as she approached but soon gained a grave look.

"Oh hay miss you had better take a look at this so's you don't end up on it… it was just updated today. These are all the young women that have gone missen this past month…alls of 'em was walking round at night like you do'in now and I don't recommend you do'in it anymore." He said chidingly, giving her a parental look. She slowed down a bit _" Is it __just__ a coincidence that Jareth said the same thing…or is this another of his tricks…dose this man work for him or something?" _ She remembered her encounter with him in the catacombs of the labyrinth; he had been perfectly disguised as a harmless goblin, who's to say he couldn't be perfectly disguised as an innocent old man? She hesitated for only a moment before deciding that there was little threat even if he were Jareth or connected to him in some way and anyway she was pretty sure she had seen him around before.

Now very curious to see what was on the small posters she stepped closer and accepted one that he handed her. Looking at the poster there had to be at least twenty pictures on it all of young women around her age. As she scanned the nameless faces one immediately stood out to her. She recognized the young teen as a girl named Sam, the seventeen year old red head had been Sarah's favorite customer at the store, coming in almost every day and staying to talk on regular occasions, she had even taken Sarah some lunch one day when she had forgotten her own. Even though the two were not truly friends they were close to becoming such and had been very close acquaintances. A sharp intake of breath alerted the old man to Sarah's discovery, he gave her a sorrowful look that seemed to be all too familiar to him now before walking away to continue his job, feeling that he could not offer the young woman the support she needed. Sarah instantly felt a lump form in her throat as she looked on the smiling face of the closest thing she had to a friend in this new town and ever for that matter; she had a sinking feeling that she would never again see it in person.

_"Sammy__? No it couldn't be Sam sure she hadn't been around for a while but that doesn't mean anything…dose it. She's smart. There isn't any report of this on TV. This is a small crime free town. That date…that date under Sam's name…that's the last day I saw her…I remember…I remember because it was it was the day Jeff wasn't able to come in…I was cleaning shop…she was scared, said something had been following her, that something was going to happen…those eyes, she wasn't paranoid or stupid but I thought she was being that, she was being irrational__…__ I told her to stop worrying that nothing was going to happen…she listened to me…trusted __**me**__**…**____now she's gone…gone? She's really gone. We were __going__ out to lunch today…that was today I forgot…I didn't mean to forget, she never forgets__ she's never late…she's gone…" _Tears were burning in her eyes now, she could find no reason for why her friend had not shown up for lunch or called to reschedule or anything, she felt guilty for not listening to her more carefully, for just blowing off her fear as irrational…was it her fault that her friend was missing? _"She__ had wanted to come over and watch a movie that night…her parents weren't going to be home, she didn't want to be alone…but I did, I said some other time, __**I**__ let her down and now she's gone…really gone._ Feeing sad and helpless and like she was somehow the cause of all this, Sarah escaped the harsh reality of the world and fled to her apartment where she began to cry. She lay face down on her bed for what seemed like hours crying and expressing every emotion form sorrow to anger to confusion.

Her violent sobbing and explosion of emotion had left her feeling exhausted and wanting nothing more than to just ebb away into a dark sleep or at the very least call someone to talk to but sleep refused to come and there was no one for her to talk to…not any more. She had never felt more lost or helpless and at this point she wanted nothing more, wished for nothing more, than to just not be alone.

Quite suddenly she felt a presents almost a warmth very near to her, she pushed herself up and looked over, her eyes swollen and red and tears blurred her vision. No sooner had she done this than she was engulfed by a comforting softness that seemed to wrap around her like a light, warm blanket. Very suddenly she was too tired to even keep her eyes open, she strained against her fatigue trying to see who was standing next to her but it was no use, she fell back to the bed, lost in a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

Jareth stood there watching her for some time after he tucked her in and cast a dream spell to ward off any and all nightmares that tried to infiltrate her mind. Gently moving a lock of ebony hare from her face, he allowed himself to revel in her beauty for a moment but that was all he did, though his heart yearned for her, now was absolutely not the time to try anything not even one of his famous mind tricks. Gently stroking her cheek in a comforting gesture, he looked back at the past couple of hours, so much had happened in so little time it was hard to grasp. He had been quietly perched on a tree branch that was close to her room window, sleeping lightly, when he had heard her inquiry of the missing person's posters. He had settled back down quickly, falling back to sleep, thinking that hearing his warning from someone else would finally change her mind set and she would start making smarter decisions, but when he had heard her sobbing several minutes later he knew that something had gone wrong, quickly piecing together the events he realized that one of the faces had been more than an unknown stranger. Quietly he had entered her room and waited for her to get most of her feelings out, knowing that keeping them in would be unhealthy for her, and realize his presents, feeling that would be less likely to frighten her …that was what he tried to convince himself anyway, but in truth it was a simple as he didn't want her to know that he was doing her a favor. Once she had started moving as if she were going to look up he had moved to her and wrapped her in magical energy, the very same that allowed him to grow wings as an owl, the softness of feathers and the calming tendencies of magic allowed her to become calm and him to cast a sleeping spell, sending her into a rejuvenating slumber.

Sighing wearily, he dragged himself away from the resting girl moving to the window and opened it quietly; he had a long night ahead of him if he were to achieve his goal. He had searched through Sarah's thoughts discreetly just before she had turned to him, until he found the face that had caused her to feel so much pain. Shifting into an owl he was well aware that finding the girl alive was a one in a million chance and attempting to search for her could very well cost him his own life or at the very least make him a target...nevertheless he had plenty of incentive to do everything within his power to help the child…she was Sarah's friend and he would kill or be killed to see her happy again. Quietly leaping out the window and using magic to close it after him, he flew off into the darkness, heading for the darkest shadows of the night.


	4. Chapter3 A morbid find

A/U: Hay everyone thank you so much for all the kind reviews and faves I really wasn't expecting people to like this that much ; so anyway I'm sorry for the wait on this chapter, not only did school just get back in from winter break but I've been having writers block off and on for months now…it really sucks TTTT but I finally got some inspiration for this chapter so yeah hopefully it turned out ok? I sorta tweaked it from what I had in mind and what I came up with…yeah so tell me what ya think. And sorry for any errors I'm trying, honest I am, but I still haven't found a beta yet so yeah….

P.S the next chapter should…hopefully…come faster than this one did….hopefully….

I own labyrinth! In both DVD and VHS form …but regrettably that's all I own of it as for the rest…We love you Jim Henson!! Whoo!! Wow hyper moment…sorry about that people.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The creature stared down at the intruder, eyes glowing with a fiery hatred for the young Fae, the so-called 'king.' If in truth this being was a king then he was certainly a weak one, it had only taken one hit to bring him down and soak him in his own blood, what a sorry excuse for one so 'great' as to call himself a member of the Elfin race. _"Even one so powerful as myself must feel some sympathy for such a lowly creature as this broken thing, it was far too easy to bring him down…how I pity the race that must lay claim to his existence, not that his death will be a los to any but to have to admit to having his blood? __Humph! What an __embarrassment__." _The dark shape towering over the fallen man grinned in sick amusement as a small river of blood began to pool at its feet; it's long teeth and longer claws gleaming white in contrast to its body of shadows, the dark mist that made the thing what it was, a living piece of darkness who's only amusement came from the torture of others. Silently it began to move away from its kill, leaving the golden haired Fae to be devowered by the Carrion birds and other creatures that came from the dark and fed off the flesh of the dead. Suddenly there was the smallest of movements from the corner of its eye as the man stubbornly, though weakly, pushed himself up and the Shadow knew at once, that it had taken the seemingly weak man for granted, he was stronger than he had first appeared. _"Perhaps this will be more interesting than I at first thought…" _Baring it's teeth, unsheathing its claws, the darkness attacked the injured warrior full force…and the night swallowed them both.

OoOoOoOo

The next morning Sarah awoke before the dawn, feeling as if she had been hit hard in the stomach. Her eyes were puffy and red from her crying spell the night before and her chest and ribs hurt from her sobbing. Stretching sore muscles, rubbing dried tears out of her eyes, she realized she didn't feel as bad as she thought she should, it even took her a few moments to remember _why_ she thought she should be feeling bad in the first place and with the coming of the memory of her sorrow so came the memory of the events of last night. _"What was that I felt? Was someone here?" _she thought hard for the answer, looking dazedly around her room, now lit by a blue grey light as the sun once again took power ovr the night. All she could bring herself to remember was the softness that had wrapped itself around her, its remnants still lingering. Sarah got out of bed; thankful she did not have work that day and deciding that her car could wait to be picked up. She strode to her window, eager to see the new morning, however, the first thing she saw was in ways more comforting than a peaceful sun rise and in ways more frightening than the darkest night. She remembered the presence that had been in her room and when she saw the single owl feather lying on the floor by her window, she knew who it had been. _"Jareth__**He**__was the one who was hear last night…well who else would it have been…but…still…what had he been doing here?"_ unsettle grew in her stomach and she had fleeting fear of what had happened but for some reason she could not hold on to that as truth…she just somehow knew that his visit had been a peaceful one. _"I remember…I felt comforted…like everything was going to be alright…like I was safe…was he the one who had done that? Was he trying to make me feel better? I wish I knew for sure…" _she looked up and out the window half expecting to see that familiar barn owl staring back at her from the tree but, nothing was there. Sarah was surprised to find herself feeling almost…disappointed that he was not there and for some reason...she was also worried, very worried.

Sarah had spent some fifteen minutes just looking out the window, looking to see if Jareth would make an appearance and actually hoping he would; even if she could not find comfort from him, fighting with him would do just a good, it would keep her mind off of…well just what she didn't want to think about. Finally, giving up with a sigh, she had moved away from the window and down the hall to her kitchen; she wasn't particularly hungry or anything but she did want a nice cup of strong coffee and maybe a book to keep her mind entertained. Half an hour later found Sarah curled up on her small living room couch, book and coffee in hand. Though she had been looking forward to reading her newest fantasy, Sarah could not seen to keep her mind from wandering to different things. What had happened to Sam? Where was Jareth and why did he choose now to re enter her life? What was happening to her 'normal' life? All these questions and no answers whatsoever, the worst part was, she felt nothing. In her mind she should feel sad that she may never see her friend again, frightened that Jareth was back in her life, and angry that everything was beginning to fall apart…yet she felt nothing no emotion at all just…nothing. Sighing Sarah gave up an her book and took a final swig of coffee, leaving both the abandon pleasures on the bar counter in front of her kitchen and heading out of her apartment.

Her first intention was to go to the park and find a quiet place to sit and think but as she made her way to the park gate she saw that the meadow was rather crowded whereas the forest bordering it was quiet and peaceful, with the morning sun casting beams of light to the forest floor, it easily won out over a park bench surrounded by strangers. Thinking of it she realized that a nice long walk was actually more appealing to her current mood (if it could be called such) anyway. Besides that she had heard rumors of a hidden trail that young couples would often use to gain distance form prying eyes, it was supposed to be long, quiet, and very beautiful and until now she had had no reason to try to find it, though the thought had often been in her head.

Going off what she knew of the various paths of the forest and what information she had gained from all the rumors, Sarah eventually found a discreet trail leading far into the redwoods and far away from her life. The entrance was like a cave, flowering bushes on either side of a tunnel, laced with tall, moss laden, trees, wild flowers in every color and contrasting grey rocks with every color of lichen she could imagine. Sun filtered through the gapes in the canopy, dappling the ground with alternating globes of gold and green dancing with the breath of the wind. Dust mote swam in and out of the columns of yellow light and the birds sang with deafening insistence. The instant Sarah entered this utopia of beauties, all doubts, all worries, all everything was gone from her mind and she was adrift in a new world she never wanted to leave.

Sarah began walking without even realizing it, everything around her seemed dream like, as if at any moment she would find herself back in her bed curled up and asleep. Her surroundings vaguely reminded her of the forest she had walked through in the Labyrinth, though maybe not quite as dark, at the time she had not taken the time to truly take in her surroundings but looking back on it she had to admit…it was quite beautiful. Sarah was so enraptured by the sights and sounds of this little path that she hadn't realized she had been walking for near two hours, looking down at her watch, seeing that it was nearly noon, she gasped. "Oh wow I hadn't realized was time it was…" she sighed and stopped, stretched her arms and took one more good look around. This had been good for her. Just getting away, taking time to think about everything that had been going on… She wipe up her hands over her face as if she had just woken up and found that she had been crying …and apparently walk off whatever indifference she had been lulled into. She had feeling again and she was glad for that. Sarah allowed herself the time to sit down on a rock and cry for a bit, unlike the night before, though, this did not rob her of her energy but instead it gave her strength.

Feeling better after regaining and expressing her emotions, Sarah decided it was time to go home. She was just about to turn back when she spotted a small path leading off the main one she was one, from the looks of it, it turned and went back the way she had come. Deciding that it would be fun to explore a bit more, Sarah headed down this new and notably smaller path.

It was cooler. And darker. There seemed to be a sense of foreboding but Sarah tried to pass that off as nothing more than nerves brought about form her experience the night before. She walked on, ignoring the dried tree branches that caught her clothes and pulled her back, seeming to warn her away from what was up ahead; this was no longer a pleasure walk, Sarah had to go forward, for some reason she did not know or understand, she had to go forward. The surrounding shrubbery seemed to turn black from shadow and the moss hanging down from the tree branches caught in her hair and stuck to her clothes, she was getting fairly annoyed with the overgrown trail and wishing she had just stayed on the main path. She slowed down a bit…there was something other than the overgrown trail bothering her…she could not quite place the feeling she had but she was uneasy…there was something very wrong. The words of the old man she spoke with last night came to her, to be careful, to stop going out alone, she was beginning to become frightened.

_"This was such a dumb idea…what if something really happens to me? Not that __there's__ really anything to worry about. What Jareth said is nothing but a bunch of Bull and as for that stalker? Well I can take care of __myself__…though this would be the place to find some escaped criminal hiding out from the world…if I were in trouble…would…would Jareth…? Would he help me?" _She stopped and began to laugh at her last thought, would he help her? What was she thinking? He would sooner die than give her the time of day and she would _never_ ask for his help or accept it for that matter. "Wow that was a stupid thought." She said to herself with one final laugh, starting to pick her way down steep hill that looked as if it lead back to the park, "Well at least that brightened my mood – Whoa!" Sarah had taken a wrong step and now found herself rolling down the sharp incline, hitting rocks and shrubs along the way. She managed to curled into herself, protecting her head and face with her arms, while trying to stop herself with her legs…she was too late. The drop off came to fast for her to even see it.

She landed hard. Sarah groaned and cursed at the same time as she tried to push herself up into a sitting position, only to realize that she had knocked the wind out of herself. Coughing and hacking, she tried to refill her lungs. Finally able to take in breath, Sarah stood on wobbling legs and did a quick once over o make sure she had not done too much damage, she was bruised and one of her wrists felt sprained but other than that she decided that she was okay. It was as she began to walk again that the scene, and the stench, hit her. The entire clearing was splattered with deep red blood and the smell of decay was overpowering. Her hands flew to her mouth and nose as she gasped then gagged. Her eyes were wide with terror.

"What happened here?" she asked herself, nether expecting nor wanting an answer…she got one anyway. As she scanned the carnage her eyes came to rest on the partial corps of a young woman, only her torso and one arm left intact. Sarah recoiled from the sight, falling back to the ground and scooting away, panic quickly rising within her. _"No human could have done this…this…this __can't__ be real this __isn't__ happening!" _She tried to call out to someone but her words were taken by her fear, she sat there looking madly around and seeing only blood…she had to get away from there. With a sudden surge of adrenalin she was up and sprinting for her life fleeing the scene of the horrid slaughter. Her mind was working almost as fast as her legs were as she crashed through the forest, uncaring that the trees and shrubs cut at her flesh. _"Was__ that what happened to Sam? Is the thing that did that still here…no it __can't__ be real…was Jareth telling the truth? Is that it? Why now?" _Something broke her of her thoughts, something she could not see, smell, or hear but only feel…she was no longer alone…and now there was something crashing through the forest after her.

* * *

Oh I am SO bad for leaving it off there arnt I? sorry 'bout that but I thought it was a good place to leave off so I could build some suspense…yeah please don't kill me! I'll have the next chapter up ASAP I promise anyway tell me what ya think Ok I'm trying out some new forms of writing and I'm not sure how I'm doing so advice is nice…hay that sorta rimes 


	5. Chapter4 The Stranger

A/U: Hay everyone this is chapter 4 re-done because I re-read it and hated the way it came out…yeah ok then. Anyway I am SO sorry for the over long wait on updating. I've had massive writers block and my life's been crap lately…I have had so few weekends its ridiculous. I have found however that the more stressed/pissed/depressed I get the better my writing is so I hope you all enjoy my torment! …..wow that sounded somewhat masochistic didn't it….ok then yeah anyway I'm sorry and I won't promise when the next chapter will be out, I SHOULD have it out by this weekend time allotting, but after that I make no guarantees. A quick note on 'Why me' ….um yeah I actually haven't updated that because…um I…well….forgot that I actually put it up lol yeah have I mentioned that I'm a scatter brain? Anyway please review and tell me how you like the revamped chap I'm not sure how it turned out

Disclaimer: don't own it

--

Sarah ran blindly through the forest in a desperate attempt to escape her pursuer. Warm, sticky rivulets of blood began to run down her arms from where trees had ripped her flesh and one leg was beginning to throb from her fall…she could never hope get away...not in the condition she was in. The narrow path she was following took an abrupt turn to the left, it took her a split second to decide to follow it instead of crashing through forest that was who knows how thick and took her who knows where, if she got stuck in a matt of branches, or lost in an endless maze…she was as good as dead. The girl skidded into the turn, not losing a step and managing, by some miracle, to actually get a bit more momentum going…it was wasted. Even as she made the turn she saw her fatal mistake – or rather fates move against her – _she_ came around the bend in the path, the thing tearing after her went straight through the blackened forest, ending up only a pace behind her. Hot, rancid breath beat down on her neck and she envisioned claws grabbing at her clothes…or did she actually _feel_ them? She pushed herself harder, forcing her weary, human body against its limits to distance herself from the danger. Instinct to survive won over pain and fatigue.

Running at the breakneck speed she was, losing the feel of another body very close behind her, Sarah Williams had thought she had finally made some headway in her escape…it was not so. Something 

darted into the shadows next to her, seeming to melt into the forest at some times and be just a breath away from her at others. Like two marathon runners tied for first they ran like that, only in this race the prize was ether _her _life or _its_ meal; the gruesome contest continued.

As they ran, side by side, Sarah managed to get several good looks at her pursuer _"soon to be killer"_ her frantic mind added. He – at least she was assuming it was a he – was very tall, had long black hair, pure pitch black skin like it was made of shadow, and glowing red eyes. The way he was running said a lot as well, his legs were moving at a blur, faster than her eyes could comprehend and half the time he would just go right _through_ a tree or bush that was in his way, like it was nothing at all, sending up an explosion of leaves, bark, pine-needles…and the sound it made deafened her, as if thunder had boomed right in her head. She was beginning to become more concerned by being killed by shrapnel than by that…whatever it was. That is until he turned his face to her and smiled. A row of inch-long, bright white, sharpened teeth decorated his mouth with the wicked grin and only then did she notice the set of matching – though notably longer – claws adorning his over sized hands. His face was one of pure amusement and she realized, with a tremor of fear running cold through her heart, that the only reason she _was_ still alive was because he was having fun…he was _enjoying_ the chase and he wasn't even tired!

She was beginning to stumble…her tired legs protesting the arduous run as well as the rough terrain, the very forest she had sought refuge in only hours ago now threatened to trip her up, to end that thing's amusement with her…to condemn her to death. Just when, in the last leg of her desperate race, she was about to lose her footing – and she was sure that in doing so she would be that things next victim – the forest ended.

With a cry of surprise and terror, Sarah stumbled out into the sun drenched park, arms splayed to catch her fall and instantly curling into a defensive position, ready, at any moment, for that thing to pounce on her and rip her apart. The forest was unsettled behind her, a cold wind rushed past her cowering form and then, as quickly as it was there, the danger was gone, there was a new feel to the world…a lightness to the moment and a pureness to the day…she was safe.



Sarah sat there, panting, for several long moments, unable to move her burning muscles and steady her racing heart. Her body inflamed with pain, all she could do was sit and watch and wait…nothing came. Only after her moment of rest and contemplation of the being that had been following her, did she realize that, with her entrance and her scream, she had attracted the attention of several of the park goers who were now giving her suspicious and concerned looks…strangely no one offered her any help. Sarah wasted no time then, in getting up and looking herself over. Dirt and sweat streaked her face and her arms were covered in bloody mud, it was clear, even through her socks and slip-ons, that her ankle was swelling and probably sprained. As if to confirm her suspicion a jolt of fire shot up the length of her leg and it took everything she had not to cry out…she knew from experience that no one would believe her…so it was best that no one know what she found... that no one was suspicious of what she saw… _"I'll just drop an anonymous tip to the police that'll work…at least then they can identify the girl then…but that thing…what was that? What if it was still there when they went to check it out? Could they kill it? I can't tell them what I saw…no after the way dad reacted when I told him about J –…" _she shook her head to rid the memory and the name…that week had been hard for her, it had taken all the acting and convincing skills she had to keep her father and step mother from committing her. she shook her head again in disgust. _"'You can tell me anything' Right!... Load of crap…but…still…I can't just –"_

Her thoughts were cut off by the whisper of the leaves behind her and a murky dread filled the core of her soul. Images of those clawed hands, reaching through the brush…grabbing her…cutting bloody chunks of flesh…taking her back into the forest to be slaughtered…all that and more rushed through her mind in the second it took for the being to emerge from gloomy depths of red wood. Falling back to the ground, arms protectively over her head, Sarah screamed.

At the scream the people who had, after deciding that the girl was just a lost hiker or something, disbanded and left her alone, turned to her once again, some scowling, some frightened and a few looking ready to jump to her defense…that is until they saw the well dressed, rather handsome young man looking curiously down at her. Once again the rubberneckers dispersed and this time distanced themselves as much as possible from the crazy girl.



"Um…miss…?" the voice was soft, concerned, confused, taunting…everything all rolled into one perfect, velvet, warm, lightly accented tone.

Frightened and gasping for breath, Sarah looked up at the stranger, then, gulping and blushing a bit, stood on unsteady and pained legs to her full height. Sarah craned her neck to look up at the black haired boy, even standing to her full height; he was still a good foot taller than her. She gulped again and took a shaky step back on her swollen foot, again pain consumed her and this time she didn't restrain the pained cry as she crumpled to the ground. Strong arms caught her on her way down.

"Whoa there! Hay miss are you alright? That was a pretty nasty fall you had back there…have you been injured all this time?" his somewhat accented voice was king and concerned, his smile was warm and inviting, his cherry-brown eyes were cold and void. With an involuntary shiver, she nodded and tried to stand on her own, again she winced and the boy's arms tightened around her waist. He grinned and the whiteness of his teeth awed her for a moment, then their eyes met and again she felt a cold shiver scurry up her spine. Something was definitely not right here.

Still supporting her, the boy grinned an amused smile…it never reached his peculiar eyes. "The way you were running one would have been lead to think you had seen a ghost…and certainly that you were in peek physical condition…_not_ sporting a sprained ankle." He chuckled…the sound was stale as if it were a bad act, it did nothing to make her feel any better. And those eyes…she couldn't keep a steady thought in her head…she was becoming startlingly tired…and the pain…was it possible that it was getting worse? She tried to find logical solutions for this…she was tired because she had just run twice as fast as any human should run, she couldn't keep her thoughts striate because she was going into a state of shock or post trauma…and she was just now feeling the pain…that was all…and yet she could not convince herself of that. Suddenly her voice came to life again and her mind began to spin with new adrenalin _"Wait he followed me…he __**followed**__ me…he would have had to see what I did…he would have to have at least __**heard**__ that thing following me…right…so why is it that he's so darn calm?!"_ She looked pointedly up at him, olive eyes blazing with an old fire.

"Did you see anything back there? Hear anything? Anything at all?!" she asked, almost frantic. The man looked at her puzzled and cocked an eye brow.



"Um….other than you falling no….was I supposed to?" He smiled once again…amused. That look was so close…no way impossible, she shook the thought away, there had to be a logical explanation…and she thought she was beginning to draw one. _"That bastard wanted me to stay out of the woods…he hates it when he loses…he hates me…would Jareth really do that? What am I saying of course he would! That's all he did in the Labyrinth, taunt me, scare me…I was never in danger…it was all a trick…it had to be." _ She let no sign of her thoughts, or the new found comfort they gave her, appear on the surface as she continued her interrogation…she still needed some facts…she still needed reassuring. Her voice was more desperate than she had meant it to be.

"The blood? The thing? That girl? Didn't you see any of that?!" Sarah nearly yelled getting some frightened gasps out of a crowd of wandering mothers with their young children drifting about near her. Some of the mothers looked at her in disgust; others grabbed their children and rushed away from the yelling girl and her talk of carnage. Again the man looked at her questioningly, brushing a wayward strand of silken black hair out of his face. "Look sweetheart," he started putting a, strangely cold, hand on her shoulder, "like I said you had a pretty nasty fall back there, it's not impossible that you may have just imagined what you saw…you know like a hallucination." He offered her in his kind voice. He kept his hand on her shoulder.

All the pieces were beginning to come together…she was alright and that had never happened…this man had never seen a thing so he was probably right, either that or Jareth had somehow only affected _her_ with the visions…trying to scare her…make her seem insane…it wouldn't be the first time he had pulled such a trick. Still the fear was very real…and so was the pain, the combination was threatening to make her sick and her head began to swim. Sarah put a hand to her forehead and began to wave on her feet as if she were going to fall, the man in front of her put a steadying hand on her other shoulder.

"Come you should sit…you may have a concussion." He furrowed his brow in thought and forcefully guided her to a shaded spot on the grass, away from the staring park goers. Sarah sat gratefully, her throbbing foot finally relaxing, her weary body relieved to be leaning against a sturdy tree. She sighed and looked striate ahead, her eyes devoid of any emotion, her thoughts a confusing torrent. _"I don't think Jareth would sink this low…and even if he did…would he really hide it from someone else? Would _

_he be able to? …if not then…then what? Was that really just my imagination? A hallucination? Am I going crazy…? No that's not it…this guys right it was just the fall…it and everything that's been happening just…made me freak out….that's all…that has to be all…"_ For some reason, her thoughts offered her little in the way of comfort now…and only seemed to stir up more questions in the search for such an emotion as calm.

Suddenly remembering the stranger staring at her with concern, Sarah looked up and forced a smile to the man who had taken a seat next to her, on further inspection he was a little too close but she was too tired to care. She sighed, trying to remember what he had just said so she could respond properly. "Um…yeah. Yeah you're probably right…I'm sorry about that…" she blushed remembering her outburst.

"Ha it's no problem at all –it can happen to the best of us–but you never did answer my question…are you all right? Do you need me to take you anywhere?" his face looked concerned but something in his eyes made Sarah's blood run cold in her veins, she smiled anyway. "No I think I'm all right…but thanks for everything you've done…um…" she stopped and looked at him.

"Nick" he offered smiling at her.

"Thanks Nick." She smiled back before moving to get up; a cold hand found her arm and held on with alarming strength. She gasped and looked at him again, the beginning of a glair coming to her eyes.

He smiled a bit bashfully, "Sorry…but I was sort of hoping to get _your_ name as well? A beautiful girl like you should have an equally beautiful name, right?" Sarah looked at him for a moment and realized that she _was_ being rather rude…although something deep in her gut told her that something wasn't quite right with the situation…she complied to his request. "My name's Sarah…sorry but I'm in a bit of a hurry…I have to get home…I'm expecting company for dinner and I should have already gotten the meal started." She lied.

"Well let me at least walk you home…your ankle _is, _after all, sprained and wewouldn't want you falling down again now would we." He laughed and to Sarah it sounded cold…she was beginning to get 

frightened. "I um…really appreciate that but I could never ask you to go out of your way…it's fine really I'll be okay getting home my foot doesn't even hurt anymore." She lied. He didn't buy it at all.

"Nonsense…I insist." He gave her a half smirk half smile and his eyes got notably darker; he rose to his full height, looking rather intimidating, and motioned for her to take the lead, grabbing her hand as he did so…as if he had known that she was thinking of running.

As she was walking, hand in hand with this strange new person, Sarah wished that something would happen…that someone she knew would walk up and give her some excuse to get away from this…this 'person'… she wished she had more strength, incase her instinct was right and she was in some sort of trouble…but ever since Nick first got close to her it was as if all her strength left her…as if she were nothing but a weak little child at the mercy of the 'boogey man.' At this point she was even considering wishing for Jareth to show up…at least she knew him…knew that she could fight him…and deep down, even if she wouldn't admit it…she knew that he would never hurt her. She sighed, as she looked up at Nick walking along side her, his eyes cold steel, there was something about those red brown orbs that chilled her, they were so much like the glowing pools of red that had glared at her in the woods, his smile was so much like the evil, amused grin that thing had given her…_to _much like that thing…even his aura wasn't right, and she was usually horrible at deciphering things like that. Yet she seemed to be the only one affected, every girl they passed gave her envious looks and him lustful ones…Sarah had to admit that he was very handsome with his messy black hair, white button up shirt that exposed a good portion of his neck and chest and flawlessly tanned skin…but nevertheless there was something very wrong with those eyes.

By the time they had made it half way to Sarah's apartment, he was all but carrying her. She was beyond exhausted and the pain in her foot had spread through her entire leg, despite her suspicions of Nick, he seemed ready and willing to support near all her weight and to give her a smile that said 'no thanks are necessary.' His grin still didn't reach his eyes though. Sarah realized at this time that she was walking through town, being half carried by a well dressed, very handsome, very strange man…and looking like a complete horror. Her hair was a mess, her face was dirty and blood streaked, her clothes were torn…and no one, not a person, asked her if she were ok. Somehow she had a feeling that it had _too much_ to do with the fact that this strange man was with her…people in this little 

town where often very courteous and kind, they would mention if you had a small cut on your face and then spend the next five or so minutes asking if you were all right and how your family was doing…regardless if you were alone or not…it seemed very strange that – in the condition she was in – no one even so much as gave her a second glance to asses her current state…almost as if they saw nothing wrong with her at all…something was _very _wrong, and again Sarah thought of his eyes…those eyes that robbed her of her thoughts and hid something sinister…something she dreaded understanding.

As soon they had made it to her apartment building; she tried again to get rid of him. "Well this is my place." She smiled brightly. "Thanks for everything Nick. I'm sorry to have had you go so far out of your way for me." She leaned away from him a little…his grip didn't lesson.

"It was my pleasure Sarah…but my act of kindness is not quite over yet…what sort of gentlemen would I be if I didn't escort you to your door?" he asked smiling, the look in his eyes still giving her the shivers, and something in his smile was off…was devious. Sarah tried to yank her arm free of his grip. She glared up at him, pursing her lips in stubbornness, as much as she could muster that is, her strength being what it was. "Please let me go…I can make it to my door on my own thank you very much." She said icily, she was through being polite, this was going far. Nick just glared and tightened his grip, the over long nails of his hand digging into her skin and striking blood. Sarah cried out in pain and tried again to get him to release her, suddenly and with great force, he yanked her to him. Sarah rammed into his chest with such force the wind was knocked out of her and she was stuck there, trapped by his crushing grip. He started down at her, his eyes beginning to glow red, his hair beginning to lengthen, his skin was getting darker too...she had not been overreacting…she had been right on…and that made her feel sick. Fear shot, almost painfully, through her body. Tears of defeat, of frustration and realization burned in her eyes. Her heart began to beet fast as lightning and her breath failed her. she knew very well what was about to happen, she was going to die.

Eyes wide with her unbridled terror, mind clouded in fear and disbelief, her body began to fight – the need to live un-repressible – but to no avail, she was far too weak. Hysteria set in yet through its haze she saw her one escape, her one chance at life, her dark fantasy come back haunt her...she needed Jareth, the only question was whether he would come when she called.



"Let me go! Do you hear me?! Jar –agmfha!" just as her voice rose loud enough to gain some attention, just as she was about to summon her Goblin king, 'Nick' clamped a strong hand over her mouth, long white claws slicing at her face and neck, he lent down and began whispering in her ear in a strangely seductive way, his voice an evil hiss, there was a cruel sneer in his words. "Come now Sarah." He grinned and she was face to face with those inch long teeth as they glistened by her face. Ruby droplets shone on their immaculate surface and she realized there was a searing pain on her cheek just above her jaw bone. _"He bit me! Oh God he bit me! Jareth please please do something! Please don't let me die like this. I'm sorry I didn't listen." _ Tears where running down her face now and stinging her new cuts, people passed across the road and barely gave them a second look…they didn't see what was true, she realized that now…they had no idea that she was in danger, what they saw –if they saw anything at all – was completely innocent. He chuckled. "You didn't _truly_ thing you had any chance to get away from me did you? You got lucky escaping the forest when you did…but you should have known better little dreamer…nothing will stop me from getting what I want." He grinned again this time parting his fangs and biting hard on her shoulder. She screamed into his hand, her sobbing growing more frantic. Then, suddenly, the pain was gone and his light and taunting mood was as well. Nick glowered, his red eyes no more than slits, at the trees just opposite them, and hissed like a cornered cat. His body was rigid and he was trembling. Something had scared him. _"Oh God! Now what?! What could scare him…?"_

Suddenly he was talking in her ear again, but this time it was a hastened growl rather than a taunting sneer. He spoke fast, almost frantic. "Listen girl! And listen well, we are coming for you…and you will fall to us!" with that and a gust of frigid wind and smoke disappeared. Sarah hardly had time to register that her life had been spared, before she fell, bleeding, to the ground, her mind lost to a black fog.

Some hours later, Sarah awoke in her apartment, tucked into her bed. She had a headache and for some reason her face, neck and shoulder felt scratched. When she tried to move, her shoulder burned. She tried to think of what had happened to her but….nothing came, all she could remember was deciding to go for a walk in the woods and nothing at all after that, she didn't even remember 

getting home and going to bed. Still feeling pain, she got up groggily and was greeted by a gruff voice.

"Nice to see your decidin' to grace the world with your presents." Sarah jumped but recognized the voice and the old man sitting next to her, it was the same guy she had seen the night before. Wasn't he was the Janitor or something like that?

"Ohhhh" Sarah moaned as her head throbbed and her cuts re opened, blood pouring out on her clothes and bed. "What happened?"

"I rekin I don't know…just was commin' out here to do some cleanin' and saws you lyin' there on the ground lookin' like one heck of a mess. You had one mighty big bump on your head…and if ya had one your purse was gone."

Sarah shook her head dazedly…she hadn't had a purse but she did remember something…she had…she had fallen…yes that was it she had fallen, she must have gone out to take her walk but somehow fallen down the stairs…that was it she was sure.

"So tell me miss, hows you feelin' now?"

"I'll be all right, thanks for helping me." She smiled weakly and stretched, preparing to get up and make some tea…she needed tea.

"Wells that's good to know…I gots that tea kettle a yours on…I thinks it'd do ya good ta get somethin' warm in ya."

"Oh thank you! That was really sweet of you." She smiled brightly at him. He looked at the wall clock over her bed and sighed.

"Look kid, I gots ta go but ifs you need anything at all ya just give a hollor and ol' Jake will come a runnin.'" he said, standing to leave. Sarah thanked him once more and showed him to the door to prove that she was in-fact, okay, even though she was wincing and cringing all the way there. Still there was something nagging at the back of her mind…something that was making her worry.



--

Perched on the tree just outside her apartment, a bloodied owl scowled as the conversation went on inside…he had gotten there, bruised and battered, just in time to see the creature leaving and the old man appearing, Sarah…HIS Sarah was on the ground, bleeding and in pain, without even a clue as to how lucky she was…had that thing not gotten his sent, it would have just killed her then and there, instead of giving her that pointless warning and whipping her mind and memory into nothingness…why had she not listened to him? Why had she gone into the wood when he had told her not to? … Why had she had to become a part of this? Her blood was on their minds now…they would stop at nothing to have her…and he would stop at nothing to protect her…the stakes had just been raised…and he was willing to take the bet…even if it meant he would sacrifice his life.


	6. Chapter5 Walking with the Shadows

Chapter 5: A warning realized…

Author's note: Ok look guys I'm really sorry for taking so long with this and with 'Why me' ( I actually forgot I posted that….sorry I'll try to update that soon too….didn't I already say that in the other chap…? Whatever I'm scatterbrained…sigh) I've been having writers block for a while now and I just got over it (I think…maybe…probably…?)not to mention I've been having some family issues for the past couple of months and have NOT had very many free weekends (summer is here though! so that should change…I think…maybe…hopefully…?) for this reason and others I will not promise when the next chapters will come all I will promise is that I will get them done ASAP and I will not give up on this story as long as you don't ether. Thank you all for your kind reviews and your enduring patience I never thought people would like this as much as they do

P.S in case you missed that…that was a hint I luv attention and reviews, I'm not going to beg but it would be nice to get some feedback…even flames… so I can figure out which writing style you all like so I can make YOU happy anyway enough chatter on with the overly delayed chapter five!

Disclaimer: what do you think?

Half an hour after Jake's departure found Sarah aimlessly wandering her small apartment, wondering what had happened to her that day and feeling like something was just not right with the whole situation. _"There has to be some explanation for what happened….I couldn't have been out __**that**__ long could I? I mean it's already starting to get dark and I left this morning…could I really have just been passed out on the stoop for…what would it be? Eight hours!" _ She sighed. There really was no use in trying to figure it out tonight she decided…but still, she'd been out for near to the entire day and (surprisingly enough) she wasn't a bit tired, despite her beat up appearance. "Hmm I wonder what I can do…" she mused to herself as she wandered uselessly from room to room, willing _something_ to come to her. Laundry to be done…? No. Dishes…? No. Cleaning...? No. Anything at all involving minimal 

movement and brain power but can be called an activity…? Didn't seem so. A thought assaulted her mind with the mocking intensity sea water has on a thirsty person. She remembered her car, her so loved, little white and rusted Subaru, still parked over at Fantasy Fables and More. She sighed and smacked a hand to her forehead "Crap….stupid, stupid, _stupid_! Jeff hates it when I leave my car there…Gah!" she took a deep breath, she _had _wanted something to do after all (though she would have much preferred something involving _less_ than three miles of walking) she shrugged. "Whatever I wanted something to keep me busy and I guess this is it." She began trudging dejectedly to her room to get her keys when, at a sudden thought, a small smirk spread across her face. "Be careful what you wish for Sarah…HA! You'd think I'd have learned _that_ by now." The smile soon gave way to giggles and her dejected trudge turned into a normal, bouncy walk.

She retrieved her keys from her nightstand; all the while laughing lightly at herself while somehow not being able to be annoyed by the recurrent memory…in fact somewhere deep within her unconscious mind…she was sorry that she was laughing alone, sorry that no velvet voice from her past had snidely agreed with her observation...sorry that she had driven him off. Still laughing quietly to herself and finding it rather odd that she should consider it that funny, she grabbed her long black coat from the hanger by the door and left the house…she only barely registered the chill that ran down her spine as she stepped into the descending night.

As she walked down through the parking area, she thought of how ridiculously, anal her boss was when it came to, what he dubbed, 'Self Appearance.' Jeff had the notion that leaving a car parked in front of a professional setting gave it the look of being a 'slum' – as he called it– and strictly forbade Sarah to leave her car parked there for more than one night. Regardless of the pain she felt…she would rather walk the three miles to the book store than have her boss angry with her and so here she was, dried blood still 

caked on her arms, leg still throbbing (though notably not as bad) walking through the warm night with only the crickets for company.

--

Of owls could growl, the one watching Sarah leave her home and head for the path that would take her to her work, surely did. Still bleeding, pain burning through the whole of his body, Jareth resigned to just follow the girl and hope she got lucky. He couldn't afford to bring attention to her directly, or to the fact that he was in absolutely no condition to protect her…all he could do was follow quietly and hope that, upon sensing his presents, the creatures would hold off on attacking her until they could regroup. _"Regroup. That's something I'll bloody well look forward to…" _he thought with more than a bit of anxiety. The one he had fought earlier in the day had nearly killed him with its first strike…if he were to have to face a horde of the bastards…. He shook his head –as well as an owl in flight can do anyway– things were not looking good at all.

--

Sarah walked on through the warm shadows, truly enjoying the sounds the night had to offer, the smell of the cooling earth. She sighed dreamily and looked around as if expecting something. Despite her seemingly reasonable excuse, Sarah couldn't deny that she had alternate motives for going out this late at night. Walking helped her clear her head and she needed time to think, the night offered plenty of atmosphere for phantoms to lurk and she wanted her phantom to appear even if just one more time, being locked up in a bright house with the walls of night crushing in on you was somewhat unnerving and though she could not explain it, Sarah didn't feel her apartment was the safest place to be at the moment.



She looked up at the moon, cloaked in misty clouds and remembered the night she had met Jareth, the night she had wished her brother away. _"What would have happened if it had all gone different….?"_ She was jarred out of her thoughts by a noise to her right. Sarah jumped and whirled to face the cave of dark where the sound had come from. All around her the forest seemed to still, the sounds seemed to stop, even the wind held its breath. Images from earlier in the day came to her in flashes she barely understood. Running through a bright forest, wood and bark flying around her…something following her that she just had to get away from. Had that all been a dream…it sure seemed like it now but…it also seemed very real and right now seemed very dangerous. Her alternate motives gave her hope that the being stalking in the abyss of night was the one she wanted to see again, the alabaster haired Goblin King, the only one who, ironically enough, made her feel safe in her new and oppressive mood. She was too seasoned with disappointment, too smart, too knowing to reveal those thoughts and to trust them. Green beryl eyes freezing dark, slender lips curving into a scowl, eyebrows furrowing in annoyed confusion, Sarah planted her feet and readied herself to face this unknown entity the only way she knew how, with hardheaded determination and self defying stubbornness.

--

Blood-soaked wings refusing to hold him up any longer, Jareth had had to drop back away from the girl and land in an old Oak for a much needed rest…at this rate, if his healing powers didn't kick in, he would be dead by morning, he was sure…but he wouldn't leave her, not again. _"I promised myself I'd never let anything happen to you…and I __**will**__ win your trust…even if it kills me." _ The thought was not unaccompanied by the notion that Sarah truly wasn't worth all this and that he could probably find a hundred other women who would _throw_ themselves at him rather than fight and run an unnumbered amount of times…of course where would the fun be in that? If he could have smirked he would have. He 

had to admit he loved a challenge, and was this ever a challenge. Being a granter of forlorn wishes, he should have known better than to make one himself.

Shrugging off the pain, catching a helpful gust of wind, he was again consumed in flight, searching for Sarah and praying they could both get through the night alive. He hadn't gone but half an aerial mile when he sensed the sinister power…he could tell it was hunting just as he could tell it had found its prey. He cursed mentally and verbally gave a shrill warning screech _"Best laid plans…" _he thought spitefully. Apparently he was not getting off as easy as he hoped…there was more bloodshed to come.

--

Sarah clasped her hands to her ears in a futile attempt to block out that horridly strident sound. "What the heck was that?!" she asked no one in particular. "Gah that hurt!" she hissed in pain and tried not to think about the ringing in her ears…that noise had not been of this realm…but it had been familiar. Jareth was certainly the one who had made the noise, she was sure; for what reason she didn't know nor did she have time to work up the thought to care. That cry had confirmed her fears. Right now she was facing down not a goblin king but something she did not know, something she may not be able to handle, something that was glaring at her with blood red eyes.

The moment she caught sight of those eyes her strength failed, fear took her mind and body, icy claws tore at her lungs. On propulsion not her own, she backed away; heart beating fiercely, a cold sweat dripped down her back. She hit a tree. Stopped. Stared. The eyes were unmoving from her; black pupils trained to her every move, her every breath. The night began to cave in on her, to suffocate her. The dark became a hated enemy, concealing the predator. Scraping. Long and slow. It seemed to be coming from right beside her. She flinched and, gasping, backed away, up the path she had come. The scraping came again, faster this time and directly behind her. She whirled; a choked and hoarse scream tearing from her throat. Nothing was there. Again the scraping sound came, it prevailed every direction, came 

from every bush, every shadow, a confused frenzy of scraping, shredding, snarling…it was snarling at her.

The thought brought with it a new sense of reality…this was no dream, not even a nightmare. This was truly happening; there was something in this forest, something out to get her. Again Sarah found herself pressed against a tree, fearful tears burning at her eyes, the scratching sounds never stopped…and they were getting louder.

Something dripped on her arm. She froze, fear burning painfully in her chest. It trickled slowly down to her hand, pooled at the end of her finger, and dripped off into the nothingness of night. Thick, warm, as yet another drop followed the path the first had taken. Gulping for silent breaths, she stayed still; the sounds had finally faded…now it was the dripping that was a constant. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back against the tree, teeth gritted, the tears fell from her face…she had a good idea of what was dripping on her. With an effort greater than any she had made before, she wrenched her eyes open and forced herself to look up. Glazed and golden eyes stared back at her. The owl was tangled in the tree's lower branches, both wings obviously broken, its feathers saturated with blood. The creature was dead. Sarah screamed through her tears.

One thought came to her frantic mind. How fast would she have to run to keep her life? Pushing against the tree for speed, Sarah ran faster than she ever had…and something was keeping up with her, staying just behind her and out of her sight. Again memories came from earlier in the day. She had been running, lost to all human thought and in a primal state where her only purpose was to live; preservation of life the only thing keeping her going. She was almost in that state this time, only simple thoughts surfacing in her mind. If she could only get to her car…

She met the ground with a shaking crash. She had never seen the root, never expected her foot to stop while her body kept going, never expected sharp claws to dig into her back while sharper teeth took 

hold of her shoulder, never expected to die like this. Breath not making it to her lungs, the only thing she could do was look to her side, look at the creature with a hold on her shoulder. A black muzzle, filled with serrated fangs glared back at her. Blood, _her_ blood steadily surged through that throng of teeth, leaked onto the dark ground, pooled, warm, around her neck and face. It growled and began violently shaking, attempting to tear her arm from her body. A renewed fire flared in her spirit. She would not lay there and die, not without a fight.

"Get. Off!" rolling over she took hold of the back of the thing's neck and with more strength than she should have had, threw it off. Panting she looked at the creature who seemed to be calculating her right back. It was different than the one she had seen that day, whereas that one seemed more human shaped this one looked like a medium sized dog with an over sized mouth. She tried to push herself up but pain swarmed her bleeding shoulder, bile rose in her throat, she began to feel faint. Out of breath and still looking terrified she watched as it came in for another strike, this time aimed for her jugular. Her conscious mind only had time to form one coherent thought, it was not one of defense, nor was she contemplating her own death, she did not consider escape, but instead, as she watched that monster leap into the air and bear down on her with jaws at the ready, her one coherent thought ripped itself from her very throat in a desperate and sobbing plea. "Jareth!" within that one word she found hope, comfort, and a world she longed to go back to, a world built on dreams in which something as dark and deadly as this could never exist, a world where childhood innocence could live on forever if it so wanted, a world where everything was right.

Mid air, focused solely on its death blow, the shadow dog never had a chance to evade the talons of the enormous and battle scared barn owl. Emitting yet another angered screech, Jareth grabbed the thing, mid pounce, by the spine and flung it into a rock with bone breaking power. The thing fell dead to the ground, its dark purple blood sizzling and evaporating as it leaked from the smashed in head and torn 

out spine. Jareth came to the ground as a Fae, landing in a crouch and glaring hatred at the corps of the monster that had nearly killed Sarah. Only after he was certain it was dead and there were no more waiting in the wings, did he allow himself to wince in pain and look over to pallid girl.

Sarah stared in awed horror, scarcely believing what she was seeing. She had never thought her childhood enemy capable of such brutality, furthermore she hadn't even though he was still alive. She realized for the first time that when she had seen the dead barn owl in the tree, she had thought it had been Jareth…and she had been distraught over his loss, though given her current situation she hadn't time to think on it. Still trying to catch her breath and wondering if she were not just imagining the blond Fae sitting in front of her, emotion began to beat down on her.

In an attempt to get some life back into the frightened girl and hide the fear that had claimed him, Jareth flashed her his biggest smirk.

"You called darling?" his suave approach was somewhat undermined by his current position, sitting cross legged on the dirt, leaning on his knees, but that didn't seem to register to Sarah.

The smirk, the voice, the annoyingly sarcastic way he had called her darling, his tone, pleasant and light, like nothing had even happened…it shattered her resolve…it was really him. He was alive, she was safe, he would make it all better. Without thinking, ignoring the pain she faced, Sarah launched herself into his arms and sobbed into his chest, clinging to him as if he were life itself. The startled Fae stared down at the girl a moment before he was able to react. Gently he held her to him, stroking her hair and murmuring softly in her ear. Keeping one arm firmly around her, he used his teeth to pull off the glove of his other hand and began to carefully massage her injured shoulder, she gasped from pain and her sobbing became a bit more frantic, but it only took a second before his magic began to work its way into her skin and heal the gashes from the inside out.



His gentle actions and southing voice did nothing to betray the hate filled rage burning inside him. Sarah was a remarkably strong girl; he knew from experience, nothing could match her determination, her wit. But now…this physically powerful, mentally authoritative, individual, this girl who had met his change and beat him at his own game, had been reduced to a quivering, sobbing child, seeking naught comfort from a nightmare come to life. His grip on her tightened even as his own wounds rendered him too weak to move. "Sarah…love look at me…" he whispered and then waited for her eye contact, "Are you alright now…you weren't hurt other than your shoulder, correct?" the blood on her face was making him worry but he could seen no visible injury.

Sarah looked dumbly up at him, unable to comprehend his closeness, not wishing to comprehend her situation; she said the first thing to come to mind. "Y-your alive aren't you?"

Jareth quirked an eyebrow, the only thing keeping him from laughing being the severity of the situation and the danger they may still be in. He answered with an earnest and contemplative voice, "Truth be told I have had better days…I trust I look rather horrid…but yes to the best on my knowledge I _am _still alive…at least last I checked I was." He punctuated his comeback with a smirk and waited for Sarah to react to his talking down to her, what he got instead both worried and delighted him.

Upon hearing his statement, Sarah nodded once then leaned her head lightly against his chest. "I'm glad…"

Jareth didn't quite know what to make of this, he was grateful for her concern, however diluted her senses were, and he relished her proximity, but he worried over her state of mind. Sarah was not one to need support, she was not one to look for help, she was not one cling to something as if trying to cling to sanity…Jareth worried that, with the attempts on her life, with her two latest traumas, her will had been shattered, her fiery spirit dashed, her strength taken. He looked down at the girl in his arms, still trembling and weak from pain, still crying from fear…she was worse off than he was and she wasn't 

even bleeding anymore. He knew she wouldn't be able to stand just as he knew he had to get her out of that forest and back to her apartment. It would be safest there. He stroked her hair from several more minutes while gradually gathering his strength and lulling her into, want he hoped was, a restful sleep. Sighing, forcing his weary mind and body to ignore the pain, he picked the girl up and cradled her protectively against his body. Urged by the stress and strain, blood began to poor once again from his wounds, his abused muscles screamed in protest. One look at her blood smeared, tear streaked face and he cared no more for himself but for her safety. _"Sarah…I won't allow you to be hurt because of me again. My folly should not be written in your blood." _With what power he could summon, Jareth enveloped them both in a protecting pail light; he did not have the strength to teleport them, until sun-up he would not have the strength to heal himself or to get back to the Underground, at present all else he could do was make sure the girl lived through one more night and hope he lived to see her through the rest of this ordeal.

Knowledge of what may be stalking them burning in his mind, awareness that his condition was dangerously past that which his body could endure, a fierce drive to see Sarah safe and at home, pumping from his heart and through his blood, Jareth began the long walk back the way the girl had come.


End file.
